Turn off the lights, it's all over for the Evo
 

Autoblog had an article today that said that there will definitely be no Evo XI. As to the current Evo X, there was no word about when production might end, so possibly there might be a 2015 and then Mistubishi will call it a day. Mitusbishi apparently is planning on focusing on EVs and utility vehicles.

Here is the article from Autoblog:

We have all manner of unofficial metrics in the auto industry. No doubt you've heard some of them, like the butt dyno. Another popular measure is the smiles-per-dollar index - how entertaining is a car versus its price. Cars like the Mazda MX-5 Miata, Scion FR-S and Mini Cooper S, for example, score quite highly, while vehicles like the BMW M5 or Audi RS7 are great to drive, but score lower because of their much higher price tags. For a long time, the king of the smiles-per-dollar index was arguably the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, which blended hair-raising thrills for the price of a well-equipped Ford Fusion Titanium.

Now, it looks like the Evo will need to hand over its title, as this generation of the rally-derived rocket is likely to be Mitsubishi's last – at least for a while. There's been no mention of just when production of the current car will end, so if you're in the market, we'd suggest trying to find a dealer with inventory ASAP. The news comes from the automaker's Japanese mothership, which says the brand will instead focus on utility vehicles and EVs. While there are no direct plans for a successor, an Evo XI as it were, the door remains open for a different kind of beast, according to Mitsubishi.

"Mitsubishi Motors does not have any plans to design a successor with the current concept, as a high-performance four-wheel drive gasoline-powered sedan," said Namie Koketsu, a spokesperson for Mitsubishi, according to Automotive News. "Mitsubishi Motors will explore the possibilities of high-performance models that incorporate electric vehicle technology."

Truth be told, this has been a long time coming. The death of the current Evo and its resurrection with a set of batteries has been whispered about for years. We most recently reported on it a few months ago. And we're optimistic about a future hybrid successor for the high-performance Lancer. Consider the way the top echelon of the auto industry has embraced performance hybrids – with cars like the Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1 and Porsche 918 Spyder, the idea of a high-performance hybrid is gaining traction. This certainly has us less fearful of an electrified Evo successor.

Still, we'd be lying if we said we weren't feeling pretty terrible about the end of the Evo X. We'd like to know how you feel, though. Should Mitsubishi have done this years ago? Would you consider a hybridized successor if the smiles-per-dollar index were similar to the current car? Should there be a gas-powered Evo XI? Let us know what you think in Comments.

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/03/31/m...ncer-evo-dead/

EVO's on its death bed... I hope it goes out kicking and screaming!

I, sadly, can't say I'm surprised. Saddened, but not surprised.

Sad sad day. Please offer a manual MR edition with bilisteins bbs wheels. Not asking too much for a final edition.

Sti seems to finally caught up. And that is a big maybe..

Rip

April fools

Never failed for the last 11 years. Every spring chikens would dig up same old articles.

to the X, oddly enough.. not so sure about the IX.

Mitsubishi is on its death bed here in the united states. So even if they were to continue making the evo. It would not matter to us. I see Mitsubishi pulling out of the states around 2016.

No more Evo

It's on Motor Trend.com and Automobile

Values going up......{thumbup}

it's all nonsense and speculation, mitsu isn't dead nor leaving the states, if they were.... why would they have just started the design phase of the new lancer using the us division??

Hopefully the values do go up.

Looking back at the 93-98 Supra. 2 years after production ended the values skyrocketed, perhaps because of the F&F debut? However the Supra Owners recognized that their cars are one of a kind, Toyota started pushing weak Hybrids off the production lines and as a result Supra prices went up. It's the same story with Mitsu.

Should we do the same? Do you feel your car is now worth more?

I think Evo owners need to make a pact. :mitsu:

they have had a 0.5 percent share since 2009 with only a small jump in sales last year. They are losing money in the states. Reasons whey you are now starting to see dealers closing down.

i have an '06 MR with 123k miles. someone could offer me $20k and i'd tell them to kick rocks. this car is not being sold.

we had a store in my town close right around '09. it just reopened last year. i'm stoked to not have to drive to towns over to get stuff.

That's the attitude we need.

My response is going to be. "Take your money and go buy a Supra.". :lol: